The Palestine Chronology

The IDF patrols in al-Sammu‘ (firing flash bombs and live ammunition, searching a police station, causing no injuries), al-Zahiriyya nr. Hebron (searching cars, firing on weapons, percussion grenades, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus. To mark the 19th anniversary of the movement, Hamas supporters stage rallies across Gaza and the West Bank after Friday prayers, with Haniyeh addressing 10,000s of supporters in Gaza City, where he said that the his government has the names of those involved in the 12/14 assassination attempt against him and will turn them over to the Interior Min. for investigation; Fatah mbrs. fire on some rallies in Gaza but cause no injuries. At a large rally in Ramallah, PA security forces controlled by Abbas clash with Hamas supporters, who denounce Fatah for the 2/14 attempted assassination of Haniyeh, beating marchers and firing into crowds, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 32 unarmed Hamas supporters. A 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured in clashes btwn. the AMB and PA police in Jenin on 12/13 dies. (BBC, REU 12/15; NYT, REU, WP, WT 12/16; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Israel closes the Rafah border to prevent Haniyeh fr. returning to Gaza, alleging that Haniyeh’s delegation intended to bring in some $30 m. in cash donations collected during his 16-day regional tour. In response, 10s of Hamas mbrs. raid the Rafah crossing, exchanging fire with expelling Presidential Guard mbrs. guarding the post, occupying the transit hall on the Palestinian side of the border, later trading fire with Egyptian border police, leaving 15 Palestinians (mostly Hamas mbrs.) injured. Late in the evening, Israel allows Haniyeh to cross Rafah without the money, which is escorted to the Arab League by 2 Hamas officials under an arrangement brokered by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on Haniyeh’s convoy as it crosses into Gaza in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Haniyeh’s bodyguard, wounding his son and a political adviser, more than 10 other Palestinians; Hamas accuses fmr. PA security chief and powerful Fatah PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan of orchestrating the attack; Dahlan denies responsibility. Separately in Gaza, PA security forces arrest PRC mbr. Hisham Mukhaymar for participation in the 12/11 shooting death of intelligence official Balusha’s children, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. PRC mbrs. and PA security forces. PRC mbrs. later kidnap a PA security officer, saying he would not be released until Mukhaymar is freed. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on a rally in Balata r.c. marking Hamas’s 19th anniversary, leaving 4 Hamas supporters wounded. Other rallies to mark Hamas’s anniversary are held in Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the IDF moves tanks, bulldozers 100 m into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun, but no land leveling is reported. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the 11/26 cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus to ambush, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Zaytawi, wounding 1 woman, 5 children; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Ariel settlement, fatally shooting a Palestinian bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (confiscating film fr. journalists covering the incident). (BBC, al-Jazeera, REU 12/14; NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries; Olmert expresses “frustration,” but does not order a response. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates into Qabatya to arrest a wanted Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Jala; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes under construction nr. Nablus, 4 homes in Jenin, 2 homes nr. Hebron, 2 offices of the Palestinian General Petrol Corp. (which supervises the import of fuel fr. Israeli companies in accordance with Israeli-Palestinian accords). (BBC 11/28; WT 11/29; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

In Gaza, the IDF closes the Nahal Oz pipeline, Qarni crossing for the day; makes an air strike on a group of PRC mbrs. n. of Gaza City, killing 2 PRC mbrs., a 3- yr.-old girl in a house nearby, wounding 2 PRC mbrs.; makes air strikes destroying the home of an Islamic Jihad mbr. in Bayt Hanun, a 2d home elsewhere in Gaza (warning residents to leave beforehand). A Palestinian is killed in Jabaliya r.c. when he accidentally detonates unexploded IDF ordnance. In the West Bank, the IDF also makes air strikes on a house in Jenin r.c., assassinating Islamic Jihad mbrs. Amjad al-‘Ajami, Muhammad Atik, wounding 12 bystanders (including 7 children); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Jenin, in Nablus, nr. Tulkarm (targeting PA security force mbrs.). (BBC, REU 8/9; PCHR 8/10; OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

The Israeli security cabinet approves plans to expand ground operations in s. Lebanon, speed IDF deployment to the Litani River. The IDF immediately begins reinforcing troops on the n. Israel border (anticipating a build-up of as many as 5,000 troops) and moves an additional 1,000 troops into s. Lebanon. The IDF continues air, naval, and artillery strikes across Lebanon, shelling ‘Ayn al-Hilwa r.c. (allegedly targeting the home of a Hizballah mbr., killing at least 2 persons, wounding 5), making an air strike on an apartment in Mashghara in the Biqa‘ Valley just n. of the Litani (killing a Hizballah official, 8 family mbrs.), hitting targets in s. Beirut. Ground operations also continue in s. Lebanon, with heavy clashes reported in Aita al-Sha‘b (4 IDF soldiers killed), Bint Jubayl, Dibil (9 IDF soldiers killed), Labuna, Jibbayn, al-Khiyam, Marja’uyun (1 IDF solider killed), Qantara, Taybeh, resulting in Israel’s highest daily toll to date, with 15 IDF soldiers dead and 38 wounded; the IDF claims to have killed 40 Hizballah mbrs. Hizballah fires some 170 rockets into n. Israel, hitting targets in Acre, Kiryat Shimona, Ma’alot, Safad. (BBC, HA, IFM, NYT, WP 8/9; NYT, WP, WT 8/10)

The IDF closes the Qarni crossing, Nahal Oz pipeline for the day; fires across the Israeli border at a group of children in a bedouin village nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Hebron, Jenin (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 5); patrols in Tubas, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 3. (PCHR 8/10)

Israel announces that it will evacuate to s. Israel within 24 hrs. some 15,000 Israelis from the north who cannot afford to leave on their own, suggesting that the IDF intends a major escalation against Lebanon. In Lebanon, the IDF continues air and artillery strikes, hitting targets in s. Beirut, s. Lebanon (including killing 13 Lebanese in Ghaziyya s. of Sidon), the Biqa‘ Valley. Ground offensives also continue in s. Lebanon, with heavy clashes reported in Aytrun, Bint Jubayl (where the IDF claims to have killed 30 Hizballah mbrs.), Dibil (where 1 IDF soldier is killed), Labuna (where 2 IDF soldiers are killed); another 2 IDF soldiers are killed elsewhere and 23 wounded. Hizballah fires 160 rockets into n. Israel, hitting Acre, Fazouta, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad, Tiberias. The WHO warns that if within 5 days Israel does not provide safety guarantees for oil tankers bringing fuel shipments to Lebanon (see 8/1), 60% of hospitals in Lebanon will “simply cease to function.” (BBC, Marketplace 8/8; BBC, HA, NYT, WP, WT 8/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Azun in a car with Palestinian license plates, surrounds a home, arrests 1 PSF mbr. who surrenders; conducts random ID checks in, fires on residential areas of Kafr Dan nr. Jenin; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, in Dahaysha r.c., nr. Bethlehem, Hebron; burns 70 d. of agricultural land btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line nr. Tulkarm (see 8/5). In Ramallah, 7 Palestinians working in the PC building are taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties after opening a suspicious letter addressed to PM Haniyeh; the building is evacuated. The PA head of military intelligence for n. Gaza dies of injuries received in an ambush in Jabaliya r.c. on 8/6; no group claims responsibility. (AP 8/7; WP 8/8; OCHA 8/9; PCHR 8/10)

Overnight, the IDF destroys the last remaining bridge over the Litani River linking n. and s. Lebanon; this cuts off access to Tyre. The IDF announces a 10:00 P.M. curfew on Tyre, saying that any movement there after dark and any vehicular traffic s. of the Litani River at any time will henceforth be considered Hizballah activity and a legitimate target. As UN mbrs. narrow differences on a cease-fire res., Olmert’s security cabinet discusses speeding up the IDF’s advance to the Litani River, escalating attacks on Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure. During the day, the IDF continues heavy air, artillery strikes on some 150 targets across Lebanon, hitting s. Beirut (including 47 killed, 70 wounded in the Christian-Shi‘i suburb of al-Shiyah, where Shi‘a are pro-Amal), the Biqa‘ Valley (including Baalbek, Masnaa), in and around Nabatiyya (including 7 civilians killed in air strikes on cars traveling in Qasmiyya; 15 killed, 20 wounded in an air strike on an apartment building in Ghaziyya), and across s. Lebanon (including demolishing a 4-building apartment complex in Tyre), killing at least 69 Lebanese civilians; continues ground operations across s. Lebanon that leave 3 IDF soldiers dead, 7 wounded in Bint Jubayl and include heavy fighting in Hula (the IDF claims to kill at least 15 Hizballah mbrs.); downs an unmanned Hizballah drone off the s. Lebanon coast. Hizballah fires 130 rockets into n. Israel, injuring 10 Israelis, hitting targets in Acre, Carmiel, Kiryat Shimona (70 rockets), Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad. The ICRC says that the IDF has barred humanitarian aid missions to the south for 3 days. (BBC, NYT, WP 8/7; BBC, NYT, WP, WT 8/8; WP, WT 8/9; WP 8/10)

Overnight, the IDF launches ground operations in al-Shuka, using helicopters, drones, and some 50 tanks, armored vehicles, bulldozers; seals off Dahaniyya airport, the eastern entrance to Rafah, the main north–south Gaza highway; makes heavy air and artillery strikes on residential areas throughout the day, with Palestinian militants retaliating with antitank and light weapons fire, leaving 2 Hamas mbrs., 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 1 PA security officer, 5 bystanders dead and more than 30 Palestinians wounded (including at least 8 militants, 18 civilians). Palestinians fire 4 rockets toward Israel, but all land inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya and in ‘Ayn alSultan r.c. nr Jericho, Balata r.c., Hebron, Nablus. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 8/3; NYT, WP 8/4; PCHR 8/10)

The IDF operates in 20 villages in s. Lebanon, most of them less than 2 mi. inside the border, engaging in intense clashes with Hizballah (particularly in Bint Jubayl, Maroun al-Ras, Marwahin, Rajmin), with Hizballah killing 4 IDF soldiers, wounding 4, destroying at least 4 APCs in Aita al-Sha‘b and Taybeh. The IDF also continues air strikes across Lebanon, including in s. Beirut (hitting houses of senior Hizballah and Hamas mbrs.), Blat, Nabatiyya, Rashaya, Taybeh, in the Biqa‘ Valley, and in the far n. nr. the border with Syria. Hizballah fires around 180 rockets into n. Israel, killing 5 Israeli civilians in Acre and 3 bedouin in Tarshiha nr. Ma’alot (all 8 killed during a 1- hr. barrage of 40 rockets), also hitting Kiryat Shimona (in another barrage of 30 rockets). (BBC, JAZ, NYT 8/3; AP, NYT, WP, WT 8/4)

The IDF sends troops back into s. Gaza nr. Dahaniyya airport allegedly to look for tunnels; makes air strikes on, shells n. Gaza, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy, a 24-yr.-old Palestinian woman, wounding 4 other bystanders in Bayt Hanun; makes an air strike destroying the al-Bureij home of a Hamas mbr. (warned by cell phone in advance to evacuate), also damaging 4 nearby homes; shells the Gaza harbor fr. the sea, hitting 2 boats, an office, a car, and a cabin owned by alleged arms smuggler Abbas Bakr, causing no injuries. Palestinians fire 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a home but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. A 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl dies of injuries received in the 7/26 IDF shelling nr. Gaza City. (BBC 8/1; NYT, WP 8/2; PCHR 8/3)

The IDF intensifies ground operations in Lebanon, sending up to 7,000 troops (6 combat brigades) into villages in a zone of the south stretching fr. Aita al-Sha‘b (where 3 IDF soldiers are killed and at least 25 wounded; more than 20 Hizballah mbrs. are reported killed) nr. the center of the southern border, to Bint Jubayl and Maroun al-Ras to the east, and to Taybeh and Kafr Kila to the north where the Litani approaches the Israeli border. The IDF makes a bungled assault on Baalbek in the Biqa‘ Valley, bombing the area, landing troops by helicopter, raiding a hospital (where intelligence reports state Hizballah leader Nasrallah is hiding), clashing with Hizballah mbrs., undertaking house-to-house searches, killing 10 Hizballah mbrs., 24 Lebanese civilians and arresting 5 alleged Hizballah mbrs. (including a local store owner named Hasan Nasrallah), flying them back to Israel; Israel releases the 5 on 8/22. The IDF says it has left intact 2 bridges across the Litani (nr. Tyre in the west, Hasabiyya in the east) so civilians can escape to the north; denies passage to 10 convoys of humanitarian aid, but authorizes at least 2 oil tankers to deliver fuel to Beirut, though without providing guarantees of their safety (without which the ships say they cannot proceed to port). Rescue workers report finding another 39 bodies in villages across s. Lebanon. Hizballah fires 8 rockets, 4 mortars into Nahariya. (BBC 8/1; NYT, WP, WT 8/2; Counterpunch 8/3; NYT 8/23)

The IDF shells areas of n. Gaza, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding a 4-yr.- old outside their homes; detains 2 unarmed Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel nr. al-Maghazi r.c. to find work. In the West Bank, the IDF bans Palestinians fr. entering Israel; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (searching Change and Reform offices and nearby Internet cafe, damaging computers; the Palestinian Media and Studies Center, confiscating computers, files; an Islamic women’s charity and sports club, vandalizing furniture, confiscating files). For a 2d day, a PSF officer is shot, wounded by unidentified armed Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis. (NYT 8/1; NYT 8/2; PCHR 8/3; OCHA 8/9)

Overnight, the 48-hour partial suspension of Israeli air strikes on s. Lebanon goes into effect (2:00 A.M. local time 7/31; 7:00 P.M. ET 7/30). Within hrs., the IDF launches air strikes in support of ground troops in Taybeh, at a Lebanese army jeep traveling nr. Qasmiyya n. of Tyre (based on false information that a senior Hizballah mbr. was in the car, killing 1 Lebanese soldier, wounding 3). The Israeli cabinet also approves plans to “expand and deepen” ground operations in s. Lebanon. With air strikes eased, Lebanese rescue workers begin combing bombed-out cars and destroyed buildings in villages in s. Lebanon, finding at least 49 bodies during the day, but relief agencies report that the IDF is still demanding that aid convoys coordinate their routes with the IDF on a case-by-case basis despite the 24-hr. window for humanitarian operations. The IDF also conducts some air strikes nr. the Syrian border and on Bint Jubayl; continues ground operations in Aita al-Sha‘b, Kafr Kila, Maroun al-Ras. Hizballah launches 3–4 mortars into Kiryat Shimona, but no rockets. The Lebanese government warns that the country has only a few days’ fuel supply remaining and once it runs out, provision of normal health care and relief aid will cease. (Israeli Prime Minister’s Office transcript 7/31; BBC 8/1; NYT, WP, WT 8/1)

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in al-Maghazi r.c., engaging in heavy clashes with local gunmen, killing 4 armed Palestinians and 1 bystander, wounding at least 32 (in addition, 1 Palestinian child wounded in al-Maghazi on 7/19 dies of her injuries); drops leaflets across Gaza warning that “anyone who has . . . an arsenal, ammunition, or weapons in their house must destroy them or will face dangerous consequences.” The IDF also continues to shell n. and s. Gaza to prevent rocket fire; makes air strikes on 2 groups of Palestinians allegedly laying roadside bombs (no injuries are reported); fires warning shots fr. gunboats to keep Palestinian fishermen fr. going out to sea. Palestinians fire at least 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly wounding 1 Israeli. In the West Bank, the IDF continues major operations in Nablus, surrounding the local PA headquarters where a number of wanted Palestinians have taken refuge since fighting began on 7/19; 15 give themselves up during the day, but 10 remain inside, as IDF tanks shell the building and bulldozers begin to demolish the structure, troops fire on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them (wounding 5). Also in Nablus, some 4,000 Palestinians demonstrate in support of Hizballah. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; clears Palestinian trees nr. Har Homa settlement. (NYT, WP 7/21; IFM 7/22; PCHR 7/27)

Israel warns Lebanese s. of the Litani River that they have 24 hrs. to evacuate to the north. The IDF increases pinpoint ground operations in s. Lebanon, engaging in fierce clashes with Hizballah, leaving at least 2 IDF soldiers, 2 Hizballah mbrs. dead and 6 IDF soldiers injured; sends tanks, bulldozers across the n. border to destroy tunnels, bunkers, posts used by Hizballah (Hizballah claims to destroy 2 tanks; the IDF does not comment); continues air and artillery strikes on 150 targets across Lebanon, including Baalbek, Hermel, and al-Khiyam (destroying the infamous jail there, formerly run by Israel’s proxy, the South Lebanon Army). Late in the evening, 2 IDF helicopters collide over n. Israel nr. the Lebanese border, killing at least 4 IDF soldiers. Hizballah fires some 40 rockets at n. Israel, hitting Carmiel, Kiryat Shimona, Safad, Tiberias; there are no reported injuries. Syria reports that more than 140,000 people have crossed over fr. Lebanon since the violence began. Some 10,000 foreigners are evacuated by sea fr. Beirut and Tyre (including some 2,250 Americans and many Southeast Asian laborers evacuated by the Indian navy); UNIFIL evacuates its post at Naqura. Lebanese report that the cost of basic goods has risen 500% in some areas. (BBC, UNIS, WP 7/20; AP, NYT, WP, WT 7/21; WP 7/22)

Overnight, the IDF launches Operation Summer Rains, sending ground troops into s. Gaza; retaking the Dahaniyya airport area as a base, demolishing 5 Palestinian homes and bulldozing land to improve lines of sight, and blowing up 3 bridges to control movement between the Rafah and Gaza City environs; conducting 7 air strikes on Gaza’s only electricity plant nr. Gaza City and 6 transformer stations, wounding 2 Palestinians, blacking out 45% of the Strip, and leaving Gaza fully dependent on electricity fr. Israel); shelling open areas of s. Gaza; repeatedly breaking the sound barrier over the Strip. The IDF’s elite Givati Brigade deploys outside n. Gaza, prepared to enter if rocket attacks resume. Midafternoon, IDF artillery begins shelling n. Gaza for the 1st time since the 6/9 incident that killed 8 Palestinians. After Palestinians fire 2 rockets into Israel in response (causing no damage or injuries), the IDF warns n. Gaza residents to evacuate the area, with Olmert saying that IDF operations will escalate until Shalit is released. In a warning to Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad and Hamas’s Damascus-based leadership, the Israeli air force makes overflights of Asad’s residence in Latakia (where he is believed to be staying) and along the Syrian coast. Meanwhile, Palestinians fire 6 more rockets toward Israel, but all land inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. The AMB says it has kidnapped a 62-yr.-old Israeli man fr. Rishon Letzion, inside Israel, who has been missing since 6/26; issues a statement threatening to target Israeli embassies abroad. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Iktaba nr. Tulkarm; raids a Fatah office in al-Bireh, confiscating computers, arresting 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, nr. Hebron. In Khan Yunis, 2 Palestinian children are killed when they accidentally detonate unexploded IDF ordnance. In West Jerusalem, around 100 ultra-Orthodox Jews attack a tour group of 50 pro-Israel Christians for wearing shirts saying “love your neighbor as yourself”; Israeli police intervene to stop the attack but make no arrests; 3 tourists, 1 police officer are injured. (AP, BBC, B’Tselem press release, HA, IFM, IMEMC, ITV, MM, NYT, PCHR, REU, Voice of the Arabs [Cairo], WP, WT, YA 6/28; OSC 6/28 in WNC 6/30; BBC, CSM, HA, IMEMC, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 6/29; Globe, PCHR 6/29; HJ 7/1 in WNC 7/1; see also AFP, MENA, PSCT 6/27 in WNC 6/28; OCHA 6/30; PCHR 7/6; REU 7/11)

The IDF shells n. Gaza, wounding 2 Palestinians outside the Bayt Lahiya hospital; raids several shops, homes, and the General Union of Palestinian Workers and the Union of Ex-Combatants offices in Hebron; fires on residential areas of nearby Halhul; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, Nablus (exchanging gunfire with Palestinian gunmen in Askar r.c., wounding 1), in Jericho, and nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah. In a predawn incident in Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, AMB mbrs. kidnap 3 Hamas mbrs., and Hamas mbrs. kidnap 4 AMB mbrs. (it is unclear who kidnapped whom first), sparking a heavy exchange of fire, with Hamas mbrs. firing an antitank rocket killing 2 AMB mbrs. and Fatah shooting dead 1 Hamas mbr.; some 10 Palestinians, mostly bystanders, are wounded; those kidnapped are released after negotiations. (BBC, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/8; MM 5/9; PCHR 5/11)

Early in the morning, the British and U.S. monitors guarding 6 political prisoners in the PA’s Jericho jail pull out of the city, citing security concerns. Within 20 minutes, the IDF encircles and imposes a curfew on Jericho, sends 80 tanks and armored vehicles, backed by helicopters, into the city, launching Operation Bring the Goods Home to take custody of the 6 prisoners (including PFLP head Ahmad Saadat). IDF troops surround the jail, order the 280 prisoners and PA guards to surrender, begin demolishing the jail and attached PA barracks, clashing with some prisoners, guards, and local Palestinians. (Although the U.S., Britain deny coordinating with Israel, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz says Israel knew of the monitors pending departure and had been plotting the attack for 1 wk.). After 12 hrs., the remaining prisoners, including the 6 targeted men, surrender. At least 1 PA prison guard and 1 Palestinian prisoner are killed, more than 50 guards and prisoners are wounded, 10s of local Palestinians are injured. In response to the raid, Palestinian gunmen across Gaza and the West Bank (reportedly PFLP and AMB mbrs.) raid hotels, news outlets, and foreign offices, kidnapping at least 9 foreigners, vandalizing foreign-owned offices. Most foreigners kidnapped are quickly released. PA police fire on PFLP mbrs. breaking into the French Cultural Center in Gaza, killing 1 PFLP mbr., wounding 9. Some 15,000 Palestinians demonstrate in Gaza City. As a result of the violence, the UN suspends operations in Gaza; the EU withdraws observers from the Rafah crossing, forcing it to close. Meanwhile, the IDF also closes the Qarni crossing; bars a pregnant Palestinian woman fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a Ramallah hospital, forcing her to give birth at the checkpoint; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Hebron and Qalqilya, and in ‘Aida r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall nr. Dahiyat al-Barid n. of Jerusalem. Israel releases jailed Change and Reform PC mbr. Omar ‘Abd al-Raziq on bail; he was detained 3 mos. ago on charges of belonging to and handling money for Hamas. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba hold Purim parades through Palestinian areas of Hebron under IDF escort, vandalizing Palestinian property and beating 2 Palestinian children (ages 11, 13). (AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, MM, PCHR, REU, XIN 3/14; HA, IMEMC, JAZ, MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 3/15; DS, MM, NYT, PCHR 3/16; MA, Middle East News Agency, MM, VOP 3/18 in WNC 3/19; AP 3/20; MM 3/21, 3/23; HA 4/26; NYT 4/27)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, nr. Hebron (occupying 1 house as an observation post), and in Bethlehem, Nablus. (IMEMC 1/25; PCHR 1/26, 2/2)

PA legislative elections are held. Hamas’s Change and Reform party wins a surprise majority, taking 74 seats. Fatah wins 45 seats, PFLP’s Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa wins 3, Independent Palestine wins 2, Third Way wins 2, Alternative wins 2; and independent candidates allied with Hamas win 4 seats. Hamas says it will meet with Abbas, as head of Fatah, and the smaller parties in several days to discuss formation of a unity government. (CSM, IMEMC, JT 1/25; AP, BBC, CSM, DS, HA, JAZ, NYT, PCHR, REU, WP, WT, XIN, YA 1/26; AP, CSM, DS, Financial Times, JT, JTA, NYT, WP, WT 1/27; al-Ayyam, VOI 1/27 in WNC 1/28; XIN 1/29; NYT, Palestine Center press release 1/30; see also Palestine Center information brief no. 125 12/14)

The IDF bars Third Way candidate Salah al-Masri fr. entering Gaza to campaign although he has the proper permits; prevents 2 of the PFLP’s Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa list candidates fr. crossing a checkpoint nr. Tulkarm; arrests 6 Palestinians hanging campaign posters for independent candidates in East Jerusalem; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in al-Khadir for being constructed without permits; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Ramallah, and in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qabatya. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also scuffles with some 300 Jewish settlers blocking the dismantling of an unauthorized outpost nr. Neve Daniel s. of Jerusalem. A PA police officer wounded in Gaza clashes on 1/7 dies. (BBC, IMEMC 1/11; HA, IMEMC, NYT 1/12; PCHR 1/19)

The IDF conducts air and artillery strikes on the n. Gaza no-go zone, also hitting a PA security post nr. Bayt Lahiya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Aida r.c., Hebron, Jenin r.c. (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 6), Tulkarm. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. At least 1 Jewish settler wounds 2 Palestinians in a drive-by shooting nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians, damage property in Hebron. The PA releases AMB’s Hams (see 1/4). (HA, IMEMC 1/5; BBC, WP 1/6; YA 1/9; PCHR 1/19)

Sharon suffers a massive stroke. Sharon, who was expected to win a 3d term in the 3/06 elections at the head of his new Kadima party, is not expected to return to politics, throwing the elections into question. Political powers are transferred to Vice PM Ehud Olmert, Sharon’s close ally. (BBC, JTA 1/4; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 1/5; DS 1/6; CSM 1/9)

The IDF seals the West Bank, Gaza for the 4-day Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha; conducts predawn mock air raids over Gaza, breaking the sound barrier; raids a house in East Jerusalem, breaks up a mtg. being held by Change and Reform candidate Ahmad Attoun; bulldozes a Palestinian home nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 9), in and around Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm. In continued retaliation for the 1/2 killings (see 1/3), Islamic Jihad, the AMB fire 8 rockets fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon, Sederot, and the IDF base at the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. IDF soldiers, Israeli police scuffle with Jewish settlers when serving them with notices that they must evacuate by 1/15 Palestinian-owned buildings they have occupied in the Hebron central market; 4 policemen are injured. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron, bar Palestinians fr. using a road linking the settlement to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs; the IDF observes but does not intervene. About 40 armed AMB mbrs. occupy 4 PA government buildings in Gaza, fire on a police station to protest the 1/3 arrest of AMB leader Hams; other AMB mbrs. set burning barricades on the road to the Rafah crossing (barring all but medical cases fr. reaching the border), detonate an explosive device under the Rafah border wall (causing only minor damage). AMB mbrs. later steal 2 bulldozers, tear down a 15-ft stretch of the concrete Gaza border wall; as many as 1,000 Palestinians, some armed, overrun the Egyptian border guards, who fire in the air, call in reinforcements, declare the area a closed military zone, arrest around 100 Palestinians and injure 3; during the skirmish, some Palestinians set fire to an Egyptian armored vehicle, throw hand grenades and fire at the Egyptian contingent, leaving 2 Egyptian border guards dead and around 30 injured; Egypt closes the Rafah border until further notice. The PA says it will release Hams on 1/5 in response to the protests. PA police in Gaza City, fatally shoot a Hamas mbr. hanging campaign posters. Meanwhile, 5 armed Palestinians raid a Gaza house, attempt to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, an American college student who was killed by the IDF in Gaza in 2003; the gunmen back off when the owners of the home explain who the Corries are. (IMEMC, JAZ, YA 1/4; AP, HA, IMEMC, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA, NYT 1/9; al-Ahram Weekly 1/10; PCHR 1/19; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

As the campaign period for the 1/25 Palestinian elections opens, Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Independent Palestine candidate Mustafa Barghouthi as he campaigns, releases him after 4 hrs.; detain 7 Fatah candidates campaigning in the city; disperse a Third Way rally led by Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Hanan Ashrawi (Jerusalem); in 2 separate incidents, bars Central Election Commission (CEC) staff mbrs. fr. crossing a Tulkarm checkpoint to attend an election-related mtg. in nearby Dayr al-Ghusun and the Jordan Valley; blocks the transportation of election campaigning material fr. the West Bank to Gaza; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. Meanwhile, the IDF opens the new Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border; fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Mustafa Muhammad during an arrest raid nr. Hebron; raids a Palestinian school in Anata n. of Jerusalem, firing rubber bullets, injuring 1 teacher, 1 student and then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; dismantles 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Bat Ayin, Efrat, Pdu’el. In response to the 1/2 assassination, Islamic Jihad fires at least 12 rockets at the Negev, the ARB fires a rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on 8 roads leading to the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. The AMB, ARB claim joint responsibility for detonating an explosive device nr. an IDF bulldozer operating on Jenin r.c., seriously injuring 1 IDF soldier. PA police arrest Gaza AMB leader Ala’ al-Hams for plotting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino break into, rob, vandalize several Palestinian shops in Hebron. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ 1/3; IMEMC, PMC, WP, WT, YA 1/4; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA 1/6; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)